Going Home Is Never Easy
by malkavius30
Summary: Lowlight gets a call he does not expect. He finds going home is not as easy as it looks.
1. The Call

Disclaimer: Please note I do not own any characters in this work of fan fiction. Any reference to any person alive or dead is purely coincidental.

Darkness. My friend, my solitude. It is where I feel most comfortable and where I do my best work. As a child I was afraid of the dark, the boogie man and all things that was in it. Now things are different. I overcame my fear, I'm much older, and you guessed it, the boogie man is now afraid of me.

Ft. Benning GA

Army Marksman Unit

1015

Specialist Cooper MacBride is out in the training field with a unit of cherry sniper wannabees when his pager goes off. He looks at the number. Must be important to page him out here. With a swift nod, another sergeant takes over. Cooper walks over to a clearing and pulls out his cell. A familiar southern voice was on the other end.

"Lowlight, Beach here. It's your Ma..."

1030

Lowlight arrives at Ranger's main administrative offices by Humvee. He walks in past various ranks doing assorted desk duties and such. The office he was looking for was not far. A young corporal stepped forward and attempted to disarm his sniper rifle, but Lowlight just glared at him.

"Corpr'l, you ain't gonna get that sniper rifle from em with out a serious fight. Better give it up." Came a familiar southern drawl. It belonged to Ranger PT Drill Instructor and GI Joe team member, Wayne Sneeden, code name Beach Head. "Might as well get in here, Coop so I can give you all the details."

Lowlight took a seat while Beach poured him some coffee in a mug that said "Luv a Ranger" with a big heart. Lowlight looked strangely at the mug and Beach said, "Ignore the markings, I got it as a Valentines gift from a friend." They both took sips of their coffee, and Beach Head explained the situation.

"A call came in this morning to the PIT switch board asking for you, from a woman claiming to be your sister. She said her name was Mary and your Ma was dying. Since you were in the field out here, Hawk felt the news would be better coming from me, than someone like Flint. Hawk has also approved the time off and we'll have travel services set you up with a plane ticket home..."

"I'm not going...", said Lowlight interupted.  
Beach Head tilted his head. "Why the hell not."

"There is nothing for me back there." said Lowlight.

This struck Beach Head to thinking. Lowlight was never one for frivolous talk. When he said something, it was law. But still, the man's mother was dying and family was family, no matter if you like them or not. He remembered a few fights with his own mom around the holiday season. Sure she pissed him off at times, especially when she started talking to Cover Girl, but family was still family, damn it. Beach Head had to make an executive decision here, even if Lowlight felt the way he did. "Damn it Coop... You are going. Family is still family even though you don't get along with them.."  
"You don't understa..."

Beach Head stopped him, "Yes I do understand, I hated my old man, but when I heard he died, I would have given anything in the world to be there with him during his last minutes. Now I don't want you to go through the same thing... So as of now you are on funeral leave, so check your hardware in at the armory, and get packed. You're going home.


	2. Welcome to Crosby, ND

Disclaimer: Please note I do not own any characters in this work of fan fiction. Any reference to any person alive or dead is purely coincidental.

Note: toumastrata1 mentioned that Lowlight's sister was named Una. At the creation of this story, I did not have that information available. So I used creative licensing to fill in those various different gray areas. For sake of continuity of this story, I'm going to keep his sister's name Mary.

Thanks,

Malkavius30

0000 Friday

It was about midnight when Lowlight's plane finally touched down in Williston, ND. As he suspected, no one was at the airport to meet him. Didn't matter. He didn't want anybody to know he was home yet. After picking up his rental SUV, Lowlight, made the hour long drive to his hometown, Crosby, ND. For most of the drive up highway 85, it was quiet but he didn't mind the peaceful night. It was relaxing and helped him focus on dealing with what lied ahead. About a mile or two after turning onto Route 5, a patrol car broke pulled up behind his SUV and flashed it's lights. Lowlight shook his head as he pulled over.

"Hello sir, can I see your license and proof insurance." Said the officer.

Without saying a word, Lowlight produced his drivers license and copy of his rental papers. He looked at the badge and noticed the words Divide County Sheriffs Department. "Great, a deputy dog.", he thought to himself.

The deputy looked at the license and walked back to his cruiser. Lowlight chuckled as he remembered he gave the deputy a Georgia license. When Lowlight joined GI Joe, he took up residency in Georgia, not too far from Beach Head. When the deputy made his return, he shown his light in Lowlight's face. "Mr. MacBride, may I ask where you headed this at this late hour?"

"Personal business.", said Lowlight trying to block the light with his hand.

"I see. Mr. MacBride, do you have any firearms or explosives on your person or with in the vehicle?" Lowlight fought back the urge to say something smart, but decided to play this cool. "Just my hunting rifle and ammo sir." Okay that was a lie. He had other toys stowed away, but he didn't want some wet behind the ear deputy to find them. He could picture Hawk's anger as he read in the headlines about some deputy dog getting blown up for rummaging through a Joe's pack.

Sir, would you mind stepping out of the vehicle." Lowlight complied with the request, grudgingly.

"What's the problem Deputy, and would you mind taking that flashlight out of my eyes?", Lowlight asked.

"Just a normal sobriety check sir.", Lowlight could tell the deputy was lying just by the tone in his voice. "I saw you weaving back there and was making sure you're fit to drive. Did you have anything to drink sir?"

"No", replied Lowlight in deep voice. "Listen Deputy, I'm sober, and I have not broken any laws, and my vehicle is in tact and I still have a few miles to go to my destination and I am getting tired of that light in my eyes. If your not going to arrest me, at least let me be on my way?"

The deputy look him over and thought about it for a second. "Alright, Mr. MacBride. I guess we can let you go, but be warned, we will be watching you."

"I'm sure you will.", Lowlight muttered to himself as he pulled back on the highway.

0145 AM

Lowlight arrived at the Wagon Wheel Motel on the outskirts of Crosby. As he checked in, he had to remind himself that he's stayed in worse places, like Sierra Gorda. Well at least the room and bed sheets were clean. The air conditioner squeaked a bit, but nothing he couldn't deal with. At least the bath tub didn't have cockroaches. After he stowed his gear, he rested on the bed and waited for daylight. In his mind, memories from the past surfaced. How long has it been since he left this town. How will his Ma respond to his reappearance. How will the rest of the family deal with him being back. The last time he left Crosby, it wasn't on the best of terms. So many questions, so little answers. Lowlight wished he could dial up Psyche-Out and have a pow-wow session with him, but it's too late and this was something Lowlight had to deal with by himself. Just like the time his brothers Brian & Charlie made him hunt rats in that old junk yard at night. How he hated them for it, but in the end it made him a better man. No longer was he afraid of the night, now he was the master of it.

0645 AM

After a quick shower and shave, Lowlight headed into town for morning chow. It was 15 years since he left this town. He doubts anybody would still remember him. As he entered a restaurant called the Hen House, and noticed only a few familiar faces, but they were too engrossed in their own private conversations to acknowledge him. He found a small table against the wall and watched as this world unfold. At one side of the restaurant he noticed a few farmers sitting around talking about the weather, crops, hunting seasons and politics. At another part of the dinner, he noticed truck drivers talking about road conditions, best places to eat, and certain lot lizards. A cute blonde haired waitress in a pink uniform walks over and asked Lowlight if he'd like anything to eat. He could see her name tag said Alice and he smiled. In a few minutes she's brought him a plate of scrambled eggs, some bacon and another refill on coffee.

"Your not from around here are you?", she asked.

"What makes you think that.", he replies.

"Well for one, you had to look at the menu to place your order, two, you drive a SUV with out of state plates, and three... Your too cute to be from here."

That last statement caught Lowlight by surprise and caused him to spew his coffee all over himself. Alice brought him a dish towel as he tried to clean himself up. As she walked away, he could hear her say she that she got off at 2 and if he was lucky, he could get off as well. Lowlight decided it was time to pay up and clear out while he still could. As he started to get up, someone stopped him and sat down. "What's your rush. The coffee is good here, why not have another cup." As he turned, Lowlight saw a stocky man with black hair and hints of gray along the side. He also had a thick black handlebar mustache, and tan uniform with a sheriffs badge. He flashed an insincere smile at Lowlight as he invited him to stay.

"You know this morning, one of my deputies called in an id check on a Cooper MacBride from Georgia. Now, I once arrested a Cooper MacBride for shooting a man years ago. I had to see if it was the same killer. Low and behold, what do I find? I was right. Don't you love life's little surprises.", smiled the wily Sheriff.

"Get to the point Gilley.", said Lowlight snarled.

"Uh, That's Sheriff Jack Gilley to you, soldier boy. So watch yourself, or you will be in a cell next to your brother Tommy."

Lowlight face changed to surprise.

"Oh you didn't know? Little Tommy was busted for making meth a few days ago. Right now, he's sitting in the county lock up awaiting trial. I must say, it doesn't look good for your little homecoming. Mamma on her death bed, baby brother in jail. What's next Coop?" He paused and looked at him with a fake oily grin. "Guess we will have to wait and see. Well I have rounds to make, I'll keep an eye out for you." He said as he got up and left.

"I bet you will.", said Lowlight quietly. "I bet you will."


	3. Flashbacks

As always, I do not own the rights to GI Joe or any characters associated with GI Joe. Also any resemblance in this story to any person alive or dead is purely coincidental. Remember folks, this is fan fiction. - Malkavius

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0945 AM

Across from the town square stood Hastings Hardware Store. The original owner was "Old Man" Hastings, a WWII war veteran. When Lowlight was growing up, "Old Man" Hastings would sit on a stump by the door talking to people or whittling on something while his son would mind the store. Rumor had it, that "Old Man" Hastings was the best shot in Divide County and possibly a sniper back in WWII. But he would never say anything about it. Occasionally he'd talk about the different places he had been and people he saw, or how cold the weather was. But he would never talk about what he did during the war. One day, Bryan, one of Lowlight's older brothers asked him if it was true. If he was a sniper. The old man just stopped what he was doing, walked back inside and shut himself up in the back office. That subject was never brought up again. After joining the GI Joe team, Lowlight looked at "Old Man" Robert Hastings' war record. His kill ratio was outstanding. Lowlight finally understood why the old man didn't want to talk about his past. Even Lowlight himself did a few things he'd rather not remember.

At the counter of the hardware store, sat a young girl about the age of 11 doodling on a pad of paper. "Shouldn't you be at school, young lady.", Lowlight said in a serious tone. She looked up at him strangely, and then said, "Today's a school holiday, Mister." Her innocence made him smile. A blonde haired woman appeared from a door behind the counter. "Hon, do you need any help up he..." That is when she saw his face. "Oh my god!", she screamed and cried as she embraced Lowlight. A man in his mid 30's descended from a trap door in the ceiling. Lowlight remember his face, smiled and shook Bobby's hand.

"Coop, when did you get in?" He said.

"Just recently.", he replied.

The little girl looked somewhat confused. Her mother looked at her and said. "Sara, I want you to meet your, Uncle Cooper."

For lunch, Mary ran over to Ingram's grocery store for a tub of chicken salad and a loaf of bread. When she returned, she could over heard Sara getting acquainted with her long lost Uncle.

"So you're my uncle, huh?", asked Sara

"Yep", replied Lowlight.

"Where have you been?", she asked.

"Lots of different places.", he replied.

"Why did you go?", she asked.

"I had my reasons.", he again replied.

"Why?", she again asked?

He looked into her innocent eyes and was reminded so many other innocent children he knew in various different third world countries.

"Why do you think I left?", he asked.

"I don't' know. Momma really never mentioned you until a few days ago. I think it's because Grandma is sick. Are you here to make her feel better?"

Lowlight smiled at her comment. His mind faded back to when he was Sara's age. Charlie would help dad out in the junk yard, while Bryan and Cooper did chores after school. Ma would get dinner ready while Marry played on the floor with the pots and pans. Bryan's job was to lay out the plates and Cooper would set out the silver ware and napkins.

When Pa and Charlie came home, they would wash up in the sink and sit at the dining room table. Cooper always remember smelling alcohol on his father's breath. He didn't say much about it back then. Maybe because he feared Pa's belt. Pa would immediately bark why Ma didn't have food on the table, then chide Bryan about the local hockey team. Charlie would tell some gawd awful joke or story he heard from the boys at work, that would have Cooper laughing so much, Ma had to come in and back hand him and remind him of his manners.

Eventually, Pa and Charlie would wind up yelling at one another about something that happened at work. Usually it was something to do with Charlie screwing up on the job. Their shouting would cause Mary to cry. Ma occasionally tried to play referee, until one of them would accuse her of taking sides. Charlie would then grab his coat and leave, slamming the door behind him. Ma would go off into the kitchen or somewhere for a smoke and Pa would head back to the bar.

That's how most nights ended. Finally one night after a big fight, Pa came in from the bar to check up on his boys. In the corner of the room, he noticed a night light on. He didn't say a word, but walked over, took the light and walked out.

The next night he looked at Bryan and Cooper and said in a rough gravely voice. "Boys, there will be no more night lights. It's time you grew up." With that he pulled the device from his pocket, dropped it on the floor and smashed it with the heel of his boot. Bryan said nothing, but Coop protested. "But, Pa, I need that. I'm afraid of the dark." Pa's eyes narrowed as he stared right at his son. Out of his gravelly voice came one sentence, "Boys, grab the burlap sacks."

"Coop... Coop... Cooper MacBride are you listening? Are you ready to go see Ma?", shouted a female voice.

Cooper shook his head and rubbed his eyes. No longer was he in his mother's dining room, but rather in the back store room of Hasting's Hardware Store.

"Sorry sis.", he said as he stood up and rubbed his eyes, "Was just someplace else."

1615

Lowlight's mother was staying at the Shady Rest Senior Center near Williston. Mary and Sara went in first, while Bobby and Lowlight waited outside.

"You okay?", Bobby asked Lowlight.

Lowlight shook his head. "Yeah. I've fine." That was a lie. Seeing his Ma in this condition after all these years made him uncomfortable as hell, but he didn't want to let on. What was it Pa used to say, "Always confront your fears head on, boy." "Yeah, they had a funny way of helping me confront mine.", he thought as he remembered his frightful night in the junkyard.

Lowlight walked in and saw his Ma sitting in bed talking with Mary. The nurse had just left after checking on his Ma and to drawing some blood.

"Momma, guess who came to visit you.", said Mary with a soft voice. The old woman turned her head and locked onto the blonde haired man that approached her. Her eyes widened at first and then drew long and narrow.

"Hello Ma.", Lowlight responded.

"Well if it isn't the prodigal soldier boy returned? Come to witness your old Ma's death, or did you come to do the job yourself?"

"Nice to see you too Ma.", Lowlight responded in the same deadpan fashion.

"Well, no need you standing there like a moron, pull up a chair and sit.", The old woman said in a stern yet crackling voice.

"Yes mam.", responded Lowlight respectfully.

She had coughed a bit and then adjusted herself in her bed. "So I assume Mary told you about Tommy."

"No mam. Jack Gilley did.", replied.

"Damn bastard. He never forgave us for what happened...", her voice trailed off. "So what have you been up to? Your still playing soldier boy?"

"Yes mam." As much as he wanted, he could not tell his Ma about his great accomplishments or about being apart of GI Joe. A majority of his missions were still classified. All he could tell her that he was stationed at Fort Benning, GA as a sniper instructor and that he was seeing a bank teller in Columbus, GA. She nodded at all he said. She told him that Charlie finally took over the family junkyard. And that he took Pa with him to work every day. Mary said that all Pa did was sit in an empty crane operators booth and drink all day long. Ma said he sits there and misses Bryan.

Finally, she took his hand. "Coop, I tried to be good to you and the boys both me and your Pa. We tried to raise you all right, the best we could. Teach ya right from wrong. You know that. It's just after Bryan's death, everything changed so much... Cooper, promise me one thing. Promise me Cooper. No matter what, promise me you will take care of Tommy. He's such a good boy. He's such a good boy..." With that she drifted off to sleep.

Cooper gently took his Ma's frail hand and kissed it, "I promise Ma.", he said, "I promise."


	4. The Meeting

As always, I do not own GI Joe or their characters. This merely a work of fan fiction created by me. Any relevance to any such person or persons alive or dead is purely coincidental. Thanks - Malk

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Saturday

0900

"Well boys, look what we have here. Looks like Mr. MacBride has finally paid us a visit." Said the oily voice of Sheriff Jack Gilley as Lowlight had walked up the big oak front counter. "And how may we assist you today, Mr. MacBride."

"I'd like to see my brother… Sheriff.", Lowlight hated to refer to Jack Gilley by his title, but he knew he had to be civil in order to have the opportunity to see his brother.

"Well, let's see." Jack Gilley said in a patronizing tone, as he looked over a clipboard. "It seems that young Thomas MacBride has over used his visiting hours this week. You can come back oh say sometime next week, or we can arrange for you to have a nice cell with your brother. We've been saving it for you, so oh 15 years." A smile appeared on the Sheriff's face as the other deputies chuckled in the background.   
Lowlight clinched his fists and looked away from the portly officer behind the counter. His mind running through various thoughts and phrases he would like to say.

"Excuse me." A voice appeared behind Lowlight. "Are you Sheriff Jack Gilley."

"Who wants to know?", replied the portly officer.

A thin tan-skinned man stepped forward dressed in an expensive business suit. His long black hair was pulled back in a pony tail and his face was stern and serious. "My name is Franklin Talltree, attorney at law." He said pulling a business card out of a leather wallet. "I have been assigned as special council to the defendant, Thomas MacBride. Am I to understand that you are refusing Mr. Thomas MacBride permission to speak with legal council and possibly his family? If so I can call up the judge and get a ruling…"

The Sheriff's smile instantly turned to a frown. He grabbed the business card and ordered one of his deputies to show them to the conference room. Once the two men were alone and out of earshot, Lowlight exhaled. "Airborne, am I glad to see you. Thanks buddy. How did you know?"

The GI Joe Ranger smiled. "Don't thank me. Thank Beach Head and General Hawk. When that deputy, pulled you over the other night and ran your id through CSIC, it sent up a red flag within the GI Joe hierarchy. Firewall did some digging and found the Sheriff had also arrested your brother, Thomas MacBride recently, so Hawk sent me up here to lend you legal help if any and to keep you out of trouble. So tell me what's the story with that jerk cop any way."

"It's a long story, I'll tell ya later.", said Lowlight in a low tone.

The mood became more somber as a deputy brought in Tommy. After introductions were made. Airborne started off in a casual tone, "So Tommy, what's your side of this story." As he listened, Tommy talked. When he was done, Airborne gave his decision.

"Tommy, I'll be honest with you. It doesn't look good. We can try for a plea bargain, which means if you plead guilty, check into a drug rehab facility and turn states evidence, the judge may commute your sentence to 3 years in federal jail, compared to 10 year sentence you could be getting."

"No way man." Interrupted Tommy. "These charges are bull shit! My friends told me that if we all remained cool and not say anything, we could all walk."

"Tommy I don't think you understand your full situation." Airborne said. "If you don't make this deal, your friends will."

"Hey I know my friends. They will support me, unlike certain members of my family." Tommy's comments stung hard. Lowlight stood up, leaned forward on the table and slapped his baby brother in the head.

"OWWW!", Exclaimed Tommy.

"Quit being a punk and wise up. You are in some serious shit here. Your friends are already rolling over on you as we speak. Mr. Talltree is here as a favor to me. He's assisted in taking down drug lords up and down the Florida coast. Guys with more money and power than you and me will ever have. So listen up when he talks. If he tells you to take the deal, TAKE IT!"

"Easy for you to say. You sold out 15 ago.", quipped Tommy.

Lowlight stood up and walked away from the conference table and faced the far wall. He was not going to let his punk brother get under his skin like this. No not like this.

"I did what I had to do back then. It was a difficult time. A time you would not understand.", said Lowlight with his head bowed.

"Oh I understand alright. Bryan's dead, the Sheriff's got a serious grudge against us and I'm stuck in jail. Tell me big brother, what part of this do I not understand."

"Your in jail because you were making meth. Not because of Bryan's death.", said Lowlight.

"Than why is the Sheriff always hassling me? What did you do piss him off so much, that he's ready to hang me and dig a grave for you."

Silence hung in the room for what seemed like eternity.

"Because, I killed his brother.", Lowlight replied.

1245

Lowlight and Airborne found themselves sitting in the Red Rooster Bar outside of Williston. Lowlight was trying to drown the past, while Airborne was trying to figure out how the hell he ended up in this soap opera.

"Okay, let me get this straight, you killed the Sheriff's brother? How in the blue hell did this thing happen and why wasn't I debriefed on this?", inquired Airborne.

"It was need to know stuff. Not many people knew about it, other than the recruiter and possibly Hawk. Plus it happened a little over 15 years ago.", Lowlight said as he lit a cigarette and set back on his bar stool. "It all started with my older brother Bryan and another man's wife. Bryan was a real Romeo. He dated just about every girl in Divide County and a few outside. One summer night in June, Bryan got the notion to see this new girl. I was only a few years younger, and wanted to tag along. So the four of us, Bryan, this girl, and my girlfriend at the time; Jenny Kirk and I, all piled into my brother's pickup and headed to the show. After the movie started, Bryan slid me a few bucks and told me to get some popcorn. Taking the hint, Jenny & I slid out and headed to the concession stand. While there, we meet up with some of her friends from school."

"About half way through the film, I look over and noticed a large man beating the shit out of Bryan with some type of club. The girl inside the truck screamed, "No, No, Stop it, No!" Bryan tried to fight back, but this guy had size and strength on his side. He picked Bryan up and threw his body against the side of the truck, all the while hitting him left and right in the kidneys and in the head. Bryan's bloody body fell to the ground in agonizing pain."

"The man then withdrew a gun and pointed it at Bryan. I could hear him say something like, "Boy this will teach you white trash not to fuck with another man's wife." With that, the bastard pulled back on the hammer and shot my brother. I could not believe it and I snapped and tackled the man to the ground. He was much stronger than I was, but I gave it my all fighting, biting, kicking and scratching. Finally, the man pinned me down. He looked at me as he spat, "Well looks like there will be two less MacBrides at the dinner table this Christmas.

Then from out of nowhere Bryan rejoined the fray. We all fought together like wildcats until the gun discharged for the last time. The big man rolled off in a fetal, position and Bryan leaned against the truck and died. I was left alone and bloody in the dirt with the gun.

I crawled over to the man to find out who I had killed. He was a tall and had a full face with a black mustache. I had seen him before, but couldn't place him, so I removed his wallet to find out who he was. That's when I threw it on the ground in disgust. That wretched badge shone brightly for all to see by the light from the movie projector. It turns out my brother was screwing a deputies wife. And that deputy was Jack Gilley's older brother.

The Gilley's have never forgiven us MacBrides for that incident. So a compromise was made., Judge William Connors advised me plead guilty and join the army and the Gilley's got me out of the county. The rest is pretty much history."

"Wait a second, you and your family could have fought this. You could plead self-defense.", remarked Airborne.   
"I could have, but the Gilley's wanted blood for blood, and the only way the judge could prevent a full scale war was for me to plead guilty and get out of town. Ma blamed me for bringing the whole mess down on her and the family. She said Bryan's blood was on my hands, even though it was Bryan that got us all involved with it in the first place. Ma always did love Bryan better. "


	5. Things Change

As always, I do not own GI Joe or their characters. This merely a work of fan fiction created by me. Any relevance to any such person or persons alive or dead is purely coincidental. Thanks - Malk

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Tuesday

1045

The next few days went by somewhat uneventful. Airborne spent time working on Tommy's case, Lowlight helped out at his brother in law's hardware store while Mary visited their mother daily.

In jail, Tommy met another criminal named Sterling. He said he was a trucker who was busted for smuggling marijuana into the US from Canada. Both agreed on their disgust for the law. Both were guilty as sin. But unlike Tommy, Sterling had a plan of escape. All it needed was an extra person. Sterling even promised Tommy that he would take him across the border when they made there escape. The date was set for Friday, Tommy's trial date.

1245

The Hen House

Airborne sat alone in a booth over looking a menu. Oddly enough the idea of meeting here was Lowlight's idea, not his. A cute blonde-haired waitress named Alice bounced over and asked. "Can I get you anything darling?" she said in a sweet innocent voice while she popped her gum annoyingly.

Before Airborne could speak, a familiar voice piped up. "What ever you ask for, make sure it's not her phone number." Airborne looked beyond the waitress and noticed his friend Lowlight sitting down across from him.

"Hey Coop, missed you last night.", Alice said with a playful tease in her voice. Airborne looked dumbfounded.

"Alice forgive my friend, just give us two lumberjack specials and two coffees and make his decaf.", with that he slapped her on the bottom as she giggled away. Again Airborne's jaw was still open. "Airborne, unless your trying to catch flies, you might want to shut your jaw. Your beginning to look embarrassing.", whispered Lowlight. His comment woke Airborne out of his stupor. "What? Don't you know Joes get lonely at night?"

Airborne, shook it off with a laugh. As soon as Alice poured the coffee, Airborne begin to speak. "Okay, I tried speaking with your knot headed brother, but right now, he's become belligerent. I tried giving him some offers to make, but he's not really interested in any of them. I think he's still pissed off at you."

"I don't know why. I'm not the one in jail."

"Yeah, but he thinks you should. He still feels he's being persecuted not because of his crime but because of yours."

"You're right, he's a real knot head. Wonder where he gets it from.", snarled Lowlight as he tore into the food Alice set on the table for him.

"Hey man this is serious. If he doesn't make a deal, he's going to take a hard fall. I've done some research on the judge. He's serious when it comes to sentencing. Out of the last ten sentences he's done, nine have received the maximum sentence. He does not mess around."

Lowlight agreed with his friend. By then Alice returned with Lowlight & Airborne's check. "Here ya go boys. Any chance you might want to stop by for some… desert tonight Coop.", she cooed.

"Not tonight Alice. Maybe later. My friend Mr. Talltree and I have to help out my stubborn brother. Tell ya what, why don't you fix up a few cheeseburgers to go while your at it. I'm sure my brother will eventually appreciate them.

1415

Divide County Jail

Lowlight watched as his brother was again brought into the conference room. His brother was dressed in prison orange with handcuffs on. As he sat down, he lit a cigarette and looked away from his brother. Lowlight threw a sack at him. "Brought you something to eat."

A thanks mumbled from Tommy's lips. Airborne sat quietly next to his friend. "Mr. Talltree says your not interested in his deals, Tommy. What gives? Do you enjoy staying here?"

Tommy chuckled to himself, "Beats constantly putting up with you bullshit."

"Hey watch your mouth.", announced Lowlight.

"Or what…", interrupted Tommy. "Listen, I don't have to put up with you. I can go back to my cell any time..."

Finally Airborne interrupted. "…Hey, enough of this. We are getting nowhere here. Coop, is not only here on his own accord. He has also came on the behalf of your Ma. She wants you to get out of this with as little fuss as possible. Now these deals I've proposed are all reasonable. If you turn states evidence, the D.A. can come up with a lesser sentence…"

Tommy interrupted Airborn, "Mr. Talltree, I cannot do that. I'm not a rat, like some people I know.

Lowlight stood up. "Frank grab your coat, were through.", as he walked over to the door.

Disgusted, Airborne knew his friend was right. Tommy was beyond help now.

A deputy led them out. Jack Gilley just sat there watching them leave with a huge smile on his face. He had won this round and he knew it. As they were leaving the station, another well dressed man entered the waiting room. Airborne accidentally bumped into him. Something about his face struck Airborne odd. Where did he see him before. He shook it off as they left.

"Can I help you.", ask the deputy at the desk.

"Yes, Fred Broca to see Sterling Green."


	6. Chapter 6

It has been almost 7 years since I have written for this story. Since then I was able to go back and re-read a few of my stories and wonder, "Did I really write this?" Answer is of course yes. Since then 2005, I've done some living. And living brings new perspectives to a story. So here goes. I'm no Steven King nor do I own the rights to GI Joe or their characters. I do however write this as a fan fiction short story. Any coincidence to anyone alive or dead is purely coincidental. So please enjoy my writing and let your friends know about it too. Hopefully there will be more stories found within this mortal husk.

Airborne had a few calls to make and other business to follow up on. So both he and Lowlight decided to part for the evening. Lowlight found himself driving out to his family junkyard around sunset. He looked at the metalic beasts of years gone by along with all the various different scrap. His brother Charlie now ran the junkyard. Charlie buys all sorts of crashed vehicles, strips them of resaleable parts, then crushes them and sells the metal frames to recycling plants who smelt the frames and other recycled scrap into new metal. The parts he gets from the cars are sold online now. Charlies kid Bryan, (respectfully named after his departed uncle) photographs the part, catalogs it in a database and then lists it for sale on websites like craigslist and ebay. Mary says Bryan is smart and can do wonders with computers. Lowlight chuckles at the memory of Dialtone, Mainframe and Firewall all trying to help him set up one Facebook page and yet his nephew is generating money for the family by managing an online parts store. "How ironic", he thinks.  
As he enters the gate two large dogs growl and run to him. Their breeds are mixed. Part German Shephard, part Rottweiler, part Doberman and part something else for ferocity. He remembered how his Pa would jab sticks at the young dogs and put gun powder in their food, just to make them mean. Lowlight once mentioned to Mutt what crap his Pa did to the dogs, and Mutt growled back at him, "Your lucky I don't kick your old man's ass for doing crap like that. And if I ever hear you doing that same shit to a dog, I'll rip your throat out." Mutt loves pets and he doesn't hide that fact. At the Pitt he operates the Joe kennel which includes Junkyard and Junkyard Jr., Law's Order, Dusty's wild cat, Snake-eye's Shadow, and at times Shipwrecks Polly, not to mention the other K9 units on base. During his off hourse, Mutt also helps out at the local humane shelter. Rumor has it that Mutt is secretly seeing the local female Vet technician in town. That must be why he had Junkyard up there for a check up three times in one week, according to Dialtone.  
As the dogs growl and run up to him, Lowlight withdraws a plastic bag and throws the contents on the ground. Two raw t-bone stakes. The attention of the two guard dogs suddenly switch from Lowlight to this new present. A drunken voice echos out from the junkyard, "You dumbsumofabitch, your spoiling those bastards." Lowlight looks to crane in the junkyard. As he draws closer, he could make out the image of the old man. The big burley drunken bastard father from his youth, worn down now by hard drinking and time is now a man, small, frail, weak and yes still a drunken bastard. His speech is significantly slurred. "Boy, I see you've finally returned to your roots. I knew you'd be back. Everybody said Cooper's gone for good. Joined the army they said. Selected for an elite fighting unit. Battling terrorist.. Bah.. He'd be back I knew it. Let's drink to your ret..."  
The old man didn't get a chance to finish that sentence... A gloved fist extended from Lowlights body and made contact with Mr. McBride's jaw. Numerous anger management sessions with Psych Out and so many promises of never hurting his father just flew out the window. It was like his body was on autopilot and Lowlight was just there watching the show. Punch after punch fueled by repressed anger and tears. The old man never had a chance. He was so drunk that he could not fight back. Then suddenly out of nowhere a flying tackle knocked Lowlight to the ground and allowed him to regain control. If it wasn't for Charlie's intervention, Lowlight would have done the unforgivable. He would have killed his father.


End file.
